Eau Claire - Today, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind hosted a roundtable in Eau Claire to listen and hear directly from Wisconsin workers, farmers and manufacturers about the impact of increased steel and aluminum tariffs and the subsequent retaliation on Wisconsin exports. The attendees of the roundtable also discussed how to best safeguard the health of Wisconsin’s rural economy.

“Industries and businesses that Wisconsin is proud of, like our world-class dairy, pork, and manufacturing, are facing damage to their bottom lines because of the President’s bad trade policies and self-inflicted mistakes,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “I am thankful for the opportunity to listen to our hardworking farmers and manufacturers here in the Eau Claire area, and will continue to fight for a level playing field and expanded markets. Wisconsin farmers, workers and families want trade - not aid.”

The Rural Economy Roundtable in Eau Claire included local manufacturers, home builders, farmers, producers and the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, over $1 billion of Wisconsin exports are threatened by the President’s Trade War, with the hardest hit industries including dairy, cranberry and bean growers, pork producers, and paper and pulp manufacturers. Over 800,000 Wisconsin jobs are supported by global trade.

Last week, China threatened to raise an additional $60 billion of tariffs a year of imports on American products. This comes after President Trump ordered his Administration to consider increasing tariffs on Chinese imports to 25%. China has already placed retaliatory tariffs on Wisconsin products like dairy, cranberries, pork and ginseng.

The Rural Economy Roundtable is part of Rep. Kind’s “Grown in Wisconsin” tour, which focuses on: Growing Wisconsin Workers, Creating Wisconsin Jobs and Strengthening Wisconsin Businesses. The tour includes visits with local manufacturers, small businesses, students, and roundtables in Eau Claire and La Crosse on the impact of tariff retaliation on the rural economy.